Fates Intertwined
by Ibney00
Summary: On a chilly night in 1980, Trelawney gives a very different prophecy to a shocked Dumbledore in the Hog's Head Inn. A prophecy which does not mark one child, but two.
1. Prologue

A severe chill ran up Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's spine as he walked the streets of Hogsmeade,. In the bitter cold and freezing winds, he could barely make out the street lights which dotted the small road he was traveling on. As he continued his walk at a steady pace - one steady enough for an old man to say the least - he felt a pang in his chest at every store within the small town which had been closed due to the war. The signs indicating their closure seemed to be multiplying at an alarming rate. Almost every day a new one seemed to appear.

Allowing that sad thought to leave his head, he continued his brisk walk toward his brothers tavern. He had decided against flooing or apparating because it had been forever since he had a nice walk and figured it would be good for his health.

He now realized that while the walk might be good for his health, the freezing winds and snow might not be.

Coming to a stop in front of The Hogshead Inn, he let out a sign of both relief and disappointment. He was happy to finally be out of the cold, but his regret of choosing his brother's inn as a meeting place was still lingering in the back of his mind.

Hogshead was a decrepit place. Ever since it was first opened by his brother, it seemed to be the shadiest shop in the town. While he had tried to get his brother to improve the place several times, his suggestions were ignored. Apparently, his brother loved the fact that no Hogwarts students would come near the place. Whether it be from fear or from disgust, Albus wasn't sure.

Opening the door, he noticed that somehow he had arrived first. His brother grunted as he entered, and mumbled something under his breath. There was only one patron inside the small tavern; an old witch sat at a table in the corner reading over what looked like the _Evening Prophet._ With nothing to do while waiting for his late guest to arrive, he gave a quick swish of his wand, held out two knuts, and waited but a moment for them to disappear and for his own copy to arrive in his hand.

Sitting down, he opened up to the first page, and began to read.

 **DEATH EATERS ARRESTED!**

 **Three to Face Wizengamot House of Lords this Week**

 **By Ritchie Bragge**

 _Earlier this week, Auror Extraordinaire Alastor Moody, along with several other members of the Auror Office, succeeded in the apprehension of several Death Eaters._

 _Responding to an emergency call in the south of Britain earlier last week, Auror Moody arrived on scene and found several cloaked figures torturing and killing muggle families in a small remote village. Jumping into action, witnesses report that before any of his colleagues could respond, Moody had already stunned several of those cloaked fiends. At the sight of the most well known auror of the war, several of the Death Eaters apparated away, while others began to engage other members of the Auror unit dispatched to the scene. Duels broke out between the two groups, resulting in the capture of 3 Death Eaters, as well as the suicide of another. Sadly, the fighting claimed the life of one Auror, whose name has not at this time been disclosed._

 _In a statement given by John Shacklebolt, head of the Auror Office in Magical Britain, he expressed his condolences to the family of the dead auror and assured Magical Britain that, despite rumors to the contrary, the war was looking up._

The article continued for what seemed to be ages stating nothing that Dumbledore did not know. After all, he would be attending the trial in the coming days. Glancing through the rest of the "news", Albus found nothing to hold his interest for long.

Luckily for him, his interviewee to be, one Sybill Trelawney, floo'd into the room. Her hair was messy to begin with, but now it was covered in what appeared to be ash, and her glasses were so fogged up, she nearly fell over a table.

Clearing her glasses and jumping a little at the sight of the old wizard, Trelawney quickly made her way to the table which the professor was sitting and sat down herself. Dumbledore eyed her for a moment as she attempted to put out a small fire which had found its way onto her head from the floo. A feat he did not even know was possible. With a stroke of his wand, he cast a small _aguamenti_ charm, and put the fire out, without getting anything on her clothes. After a small squeak from the scared seer, she quietly thanked him.

"Well Ms-"

"Sybill Trelawney, Great-Great-Granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney and esteemed seer!" the disheveled woman interrupted. Dumbledore knew that, but it seemed that Ms. Trelawney wanted to get her heritage out as quickly as possible.

Raising an eyebrow, he spoke again. "Ms. Trelawney, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As you are aware, I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Conference of Wizards, and Chief Warlock to the Wizengamot Lords. As you have been informed, I am currently in need of a Divination teacher. I would first like to ask you about your credentials and experience."

The seer, obviously taken aback by the Headmasters credentials, began to speak rapidly with a bit of a nervous stutter, "W-w-well… I graduated from Ho-Hogwarts with 11 O.W.L's and 8 N.E.W.T's…"

She seemed to trail off after that and found herself staring off into the distance for quite a few seconds, before Dumbledore cleared his throat, making her jump. "Ms. Trelawney, I must say that is rather impressive. I do believe I remember you graduating in 1968. Is that correct?"

"Y-Yes!" She yelped, "I've been working - er - freelance as a seer since then!"

"Interesting…" Dumbledore commented pointedly. "I do understand you've had a hard time finding work however, despite your rather high scores."

The eccentric witch, realizing that this interview was not going too well, tried to spin the problem into something that the old man might relate to.

"You see… It's been difficult to find work as not many people appreciate the - uh - true art that is divination these days! Obviously, with the help of yourself, I hope to install a love for the art into the younger generation at Hogwarts!"

Dumbledore, somewhat satisfied with the answer, gave a chuckle. "I must confess that I do not fully understand the art myself. Perhaps a demonstration would help me better appreciate the reasons to hire you to teach divination at my school?"

"Yes! Yes I would love to!" She shouted. Looking around, the seer motioned to the owner of the establishment. "Sir! Sir! Would you please bring two cups of leaf tea!""

The owner, not taking a liking to the seer's outburst, looked to his brother, who only gave a light chuckle and a nod.

A few moments later, two old and dirty cups filled with tea leaves were placed down on the table. Dumbledore, parched, took a sip.

After a few minutes of drinking, Trelawney had Dumbledore stir the cup, and then pour out the remaining liquid. "W-We start from the rim of the cup and circle downwa-" She cut herself off as she stared into the cup, before letting out a great shriek. "Oh my! This… This cup shows great turmoil in your future!"

Dumbledore froze, obviously concerned by her reading. "How so?" He peered over the cup.

"Well… Uh… The w-white of the cup is used to represent good, and the and the d-d-dark spots are u-used to represent evil. As you c-can see, this - um - this dark, jagged line represent a snake! Snakes represent enmity and evil!"

Dumbledore looked into the cup. While he understood what she was saying, it looked much more like a lightning bolt than anything. Not to mention the bolt was formed from the white space where the leaves had not fallen!

"Well… Thank you I suppose…" He looked around to his brother, who just shrugged. "Thank you for your time Ms. Trelawney. I must get going, but I will get back to you on the position…" He trailed off. Trelawney was staring down into the cup. She seemed to be caught in a trance. The Headmaster shook her a moment.

No reaction.

"Ms. Trelawney?" He stood up and walked towards her, and as he got close, she stood up suddenly, and with the crash of the cups hitting the ground, began to speak:

"TWO WHO POSSESS THE MAGIC

TO BRING END THE DARK LORDS REIGN

SHALL HAVE THEIR LIVES MADE TRAGIC

WHEN BOTH OF THEIR PARENTS SLAIN.

LIVES SAVED BY MUGGLE MOTHERS

MURDERED BY THE DARK LORD'S HAND,

MUST USE LOVE OF EACH OTHER

TO PUT A STOP TO HIS PLAN.

BOTH LIVE AS THE OTHER DIES;

ELSE BOTH MUST PASS TO DEATH'S HAND.

SO FATE ITSELF NOW DECRIES"

As she finished, she snapped out of her state, and looked around for a moment. "I'm sorry, were we discussing something? I can't seem to remember what."

Dumbledore, awestruck by what he had just witnessed, looked around for a moment. He had just heard a prophecy of a chosen one. Or… Two for that matter. It mattered deeply who heard it. The old lady who had been in the tavern earlier was not there. It appeared she left when she realized her quiet reading place was being disturbed by a frantic seer. Outside, he could hear voices arguing, and he could not find his brother anywhere.

"Pardon me for a moment Ms. Trelawney." He quickly moved outside to find his brother arguing with a cloaked figure. At the sight of the Headmaster, the man ceased his squabbling with Aberforth and turned quickly towards Albus.

"He was pounding on the door and I didn't want him bothering your interview." Aberforth spoke quickly, as if in apology as the man broke away from the barman.

With two swift strides, the man was before the Headmaster, and then immediately fell to the floor, releasing an anguished moan. As the astonished Professor went to try to see what was wrong, he noticed that the man was crying openly. He also noticed something else.

"Severus Snape? What are you doing here?" He asked, suspicious of the man's motives, knowing that his recently graduate student was very likely a Death Eater.

* * *

 **Well, I haven't posted in ages.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this prologue. I think it could have been longer, but I think it sets up the story nicely.**

 **Leave reviews and express your honest opinion. If you spot any spelling errors, grammatical errors, or anything else please let me know. Finally, if there were any inaccuracies in the cannon leading up to where the story begins, please let me know. I did my best, but the HP universe is rather expansive.**

Edited 4/24/2018 with the help of user Majerus, my new Beta!


	2. Chapter 1 - The Children Who Lived

_**Hello**_ _ **hello! Thank you so much for all of your support on the first chapter. It was a bit short I will admit, but I like how it turned out. I believe I could have gone into more detail in the interview, but das es das.**_

 _ **Anyways, onto reviews! I will only be responding to ones who have questions or made a point about something, but to all those who gave me compliments and praise, thank you!**_

 **Hermione Lyra Malfoy-Riddle: Ooh! Can Sirius not go Azkaban? And raise Harry and Hermoine when their parents die? Great chapter!**

 _ **You will just have to wait and see!**_

 **Proganthony: This is a good start. However, I'm wondering how Snape fits in. Surely he can't have told Voldemort about the prophecy only one minute after it's have been made and return to Dumbledore. Still, a good start and I am looking forward to the next chapter.**

 _ **Who's to say he went and told Voldemort?**_

 _ **To the other 6 who reviewed this chapter, once again thank you for your compliments. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, as people had taken to calling him wherever he went, stood silently admiring the crimson locomotive. His trunk was still on the cart, and his owl sat in her cage on top of it, staring out at him. He almost felt as though she were waiting for him to make his next move, which, in a way, he was. He was still waiting to wake up from this wondrous dream. He was no longer "Scar-Face" or "Lighting Head" as his classmates had taken to calling him. Instead of a freak, he was a hero. A hero to every man, woman and child he seemed to come across in this new world.

Yet, this change in his life came with risks. If he didn't play his cards right, he may end up right back where he began. Only this time, he would face scrutiny from those who could pull pranks on him in ways he couldn't even imagine, after all, they could do magic. He had already concluded that he would hide his scar - a clear sign of his origin to those in the wizarding world - whenever possible, by covering it with his hair. He had also decided to not initiate conversations, in fear of his identity being revealed to the children at the school he would soon call home.

A large, familiar hand landed on his shoulder, breaking his meditation. As he turned around, he spotted the person who had saved him from his mundane life just a few months ago.

"Sirius!" He cried, "You scared me!"

Sirius gave a hearty laugh, "Well if me coming up behind you spooks you this badly, I don't know if we need you going to Hogwarts just yet." He joked. Sirius smiled as he looked down upon his Godson. A solemn look returned to his face as soon as he had finished chuckling. "Harry," he began, "there is one more thing I have to tell you before you head off to Hogwarts."

Harry stiffened. This obviously was something he was not gonna like. No one ever saved good news for right before parting.

"James and Lily, no matter what those fools the Dursley's told you when I wasn't around, loved you very much. You were their pride and joy. They gave their lives to protect you. Now, I know I'm not one to talk," he said sarcastically, "but you are important to me, and too many other people. So try not to get into too much trouble while you're at school, OK?" He gave a knowing smile.

Harry nodded. "I will Sirius."

The Hogwarts Express blew a warning whistle, announcing that it was soon time for students to be aboard the train. Dark clouds rose from the front of the engine, and several families quickly gathered, like Harry and Sirius, exchanging last goodbyes.

His Godfather smiled once more. "Good!" He cried, "Now get on that train! Can't have you being late on your first day, now can we?" Giving Harry a joking shove, he pushed the boy towards his new life, then helped him load his belongings onto the train, levitating his trunk up behind him.

Harry turned to give Sirius one last wave, then drug his featherlight trunk down the corridor. He was finally going to Hogwarts, and he couldn't contain his happiness.

This was going to be wonderful!

* * *

This was going to be awful!

The Hogwarts Express was leaving at precisely 11 o'clock, and she was running late! It was very uncommon for the underground to run late, and now she was going to be late for a train, because of a train!

This problem bothered Hermione Granger tremendously. She was always on time. Whether arriving for classes, turning in library books, really anything you could think of, she was not a moment late, and not a moment too early. Yet here she was, running desperately to try to catch a magical train.

Magical train…

It had barely occurred to her until now, the sheer insanity of that thought. In a few moments - well if she made it on time that is - she would be making her way to a magical school, on a magical train, to learn about magic.

As wonderful an opportunity as it may have seemed at first, now, after she had received her books, robes, and her wand, she thought about what exactly she was giving up. The girl realized that she was no longer a muggle, she was a witch. It bothered her that she would only see Gran occasionally when she visited home. Also, she would be living in a dormitory with other girls her age, which was a bit daunting as she had always had her own room, and hadn't even had a sleepover. These thoughts brought a frown to the young witches face.

Shaking herself from her worries, the girl focus on more positive thoughts. She would be expected to find her way to classes, to study hard, to achieve high marks, and once out of school she would join the wizarding workforce. These last thoughts excited her to no end. No more rude comments about her appearance, her study habits, or that nasty scar on her head. No, now she was free.

And she was also lost.

She looked back at her ticket. Platform 9 ¾. Nine and three quarters?! Where the bloody hell was that?

She chastised herself mentally for swearing and looked around. Platform 9 was to her left, and platform 10 was to her right. There was no such thing as platform 9 ¾!

What was she to do? The train would leave in 5 minutes! She almost imagined a whistle announcing this very fact as she paced and fretted, she needed to figure this out. It must be a test! A test to determine the mental know-how of upcoming students. Nothing The Girl Who Lived couldn't handle! She looked around again. Aside from the support pillars, there was nothing separating the left platform from the right, except for the occasional bench. The pillars themselves looked to be somewhat closer to the right side then to the left. Maybe it had something to do with that? Her analytical mind was grasping at straws trying to figure out this mystery.

A group of voices brought her out of her frantic thoughts. She watched as several red headed children, accompanied by what she assumed was their mother, began to run one by one at the very pillar she was staring at, and disappear.

Astonished by this discovery, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and ran straight forward into what she hoped would be her new life.

* * *

The seats of the Hogwarts Express were quite comfy, he decided, as he sprawled out and relaxed. He had been able to score an empty carriage and, most likely due to his scowls and surly attitude, had managed to keep it all to himself. This was a feat that he assumed was no small task, what with people running all over to find a place as the train sounded the final boarding whistle.

Harry's owl hooted in the corner. They had just left the station and she was already hungry. Sirius had warned him not to spoil her, and he had ignored those warnings. He now faced the consequences. He took out the special feed which he had bought that was apparently supposed to simulate the taste "of the hunt" as the packaging so eloquently put it, and poured it into her feeding bowl. Hoping that would tide the snow owl over for at least an hour, he sat back down and began to read from the textbook, Hogwarts: A History. It had been assigned to read at least partially over the summer, to give muggleborns (or, in his case, muggle raised) a chance to learn some of what the magically raised children would surely know about wizarding history – at least that of their new home for the coming months. He found his bookmark and began reading.

 ** _Cockatrice Scandal of 1792_**

 _With the Triwizard Tournament heating up, the second task of the famously deadly tournament involved participants catching the magical beast known as a Cockatrice. This magical beast, though small in stature, was well known to be incredibly dangerous. Measuring at just over half a meter tall, this creature has the body of a dragon, with the head of a rooster. It is known to spew fire, attack with its razor sharp claws, and kill anything which it thinks to be a threat. While not impervious to magic, its dragon ancestry gives rise to a certain resistance to many spells and has even been on occasion known to dodge spells directed at it, as if knowing what they are._

 _Gabrielle Mundungus, the Headmistress of Hogwarts from 1768 to 1792, was the member of the judiciary for this tournament who recommended this creature be used. Little is known as to why such a creature so adept at violence was chosen, however it stands to the testament of time that ramifications of this decision are profound._

 _While awaiting the beginning of the second task, one of the Cockatrices escaped containment and began a rampage around the grounds. Several people were injured in this incident, including Gabrielle Mundungus and two other judges. Due to this oversight, along with the long line of deaths which followed the Triwizard Tournament like a plague, public outcry for its banning became national news. In January of 1792, The Department of Magical Games and Sports Council unanimously voted 5 - 0 to put an end to the Triwizard Tournament and to ban it indefinitely. While several have attempted to bring the tournament back, those who have done so have been met with severe resistance._

 _Because of the public outcry of this event, coupled with the fact that the beast used was at the suggestion of herself, Headmistress Mundungus resigned her duties in February 1792. She went on to write a biography about her time in Hogwarts and later died of old age in 1871._

Harry put down the book. He decided that the history of Hogwarts would be much more entertaining when seen in person than it would be to read. Laying his head down, he attempted to drift off to sleep.

He was unable to however, after a loud knock was heard at the carriage door.

"Who in the bloody hell is still looking for a room?" He pondered to himself. Getting up, he unlatched the lock and opened the door.

Standing in front of him was a girl slightly older than him, with the very same scar he had come to know as his own.

* * *

"I made it!"

Hermione was panting almost dramatically as she made her way down the halls of the carriage. She found herself practically jumping for joy at the thought of successfully making it onto the train. "This was the start" she thought to herself "the start of Hermione Granger's ascent to the top of the world!" She finally had a chance to show the world that she was a force to be reckoned with. A mind so great, so powerful, that she would change the world.

But first, she needed to find a place to sit.

Looking down the hall, she watched closely as several students went to and fro from carriage to carriage. She paid close attention to their social cues. How to ask to join another party in one of these cars. How normal witches and wizards spoke, and most importantly, how social standings in the wizarding work functioned.

Many of them wore their house emblems. Emblems she recognized from reading Hogwarts: A History. As she suspected, Slytherins sat with Slytherins, Ravenclaws with Ravenclaws, Gryffindors with Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs mixing in with the other three houses.

"Wait what?"

She broke from her observations. As it turned out, the house of loyalty seemed to express their loyalty to others, rather than allegiance to the house itself. A nice thing to realize when thinking about where she would end up, and where her best allies would come from.

She then looked for where other first years were sitting. It was odd however, because she could not for the life of her find any of them. No matter what carriage she passed, there were no first years. Of course, this was probably due to the fact that she was at the front of the train. Most of the first years, she imagined, would get on at the back of the train which was closest to the platform entrance. From there, she reasoned, they would simply pick the closet carriage, rather than the ones up at the front of the car.

No matter, she could make her way back to there before long and join up with the rest of her class. Right now, it would make sense to make friends with those in higher grades than her. But the question remained.

How?

"No better time than now, I guess" she mumbled to herself. Picking the first door she came to, she went over and gave it a quick knock.

She could hear rustling and grumbling in the compartment and immediately regretted her decision. It sounded as though she had just woken a bear!

Perhaps this upperclassmen was trying to sleep? He, whoever it was, had been rudely woken up by some nosey first year trying to make her way in a world she didn't understand. Should she run away? Hermione stood rooted in indecision as the latch was sprung.

After realizing that his attempt to drive her off was fruitless, he would growl at her and take note of her appearance, her scar, and her mousy demeanor. He would spread rumors about her around the school. Before long she would be hated around the school! It was all over now. Her first day and she had already messed up beyond belie-

Then the door opened. It was a first year, woken up yes, but appearing completely harmless.

Then she noticed his scar.

The two children stared at each other for a long moment, before the boy broke the silence.

"Uh… What's up?" He asked.

Hermione, somewhat awestruck at the sight of her scar on someone else's forehead, tripped a bit on her response.

"Wha- OH! Oh sorry I was just looking for a compartment to sit in while riding to Hogwarts." She chastised herself for her poor choice of words. Of course it was to Hogwarts! Where else would the bloody train be going?

She chastised herself again for her use of curses.

"Oh…" the young boy spoke, relief obvious in his voice. "Well you're welcome in here. No one else wanted to sit with me though." He finished. Without a word, he turned and sat back down on one of the benches in the carriage.

Taking it as her cue, Hermione did the same. Pulling her belongings into the car, and shutting the door behind her. After settling in for the ride, she sat down herself and looked at the odd boy once more.

He wore very nice glasses, though his hair was messy and unkempt, and he had not even changed into his robes yet. He stared out the window, almost as if she were not even there.

"How rude!" She thought to herself. Then she realized that she had intruded onto his private space, and had been invited to join him anyways. "I guess that's alright…" She reasoned to herself.

Looking around once more she noticed the owl that sat to the edge of the car. It peacefully ate from its feeding bowl completely ignoring her entrance. Getting closer she could not help but admire the beauty of the animal. She had wanted to get an owl as well, however it was too much for her Gran to pay for and there was no way she was asking the Deputy Headmistress to fork over the money for a non-essential. No, she could make due with the school owls she had read about. Particularly without the financial assistance of her new magical guardian.

"That's Hedwig," the boy commented, breaking the girl out of her thought-spell. "Got her as a present from my god-father."

"She's beautiful," the witch commented back. "How old is she?"

"Two, I think. Haven't had her for long, about a month or so." He answered. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, how'd you get the scar on your forehead?"

The young witch was taken aback by the abruptness of the question, as well as the hypocrisy in it. Somewhat jaded, she shot back off handedly, "Well I could ask the same thing of you." As she stood up, she noticed the boy looked at her astonished.

"How did you see it?" He asked rather loudly.

"See it? See what? The scar on your forehead I'm looking at right now?"

The boy stood frozen. Slowly, he lifted his hand towards his hair, which had always depended on to hide his scar, and noticed it was not covering it whatsoever.

Hermione looked rather confusedly at the boy. What was he trying to hide? She decided to probe further. "Well since you asked first, I guess I'll answer." She sat down on the bench, and before the young boy could speak, she began to spin her tale.

"When I was young, almost two, my parents were killed in some sort of home invasion. I had always been told up until now that it was some random thug, but that was just a cover until I got my magic I guess…" She paused for a moment before realizing she had left something important out. "I'm muggle born by the way. My parents died protecting me from some dark lord. I don't remember his name, but he tried to kill me too. The spell shot right back at him though and I got a scar from it on my forehead." She finished. As she did so, she laid her head on a closed fist and leaned against the wall of the car. "So what about you?"

The boy stared for a few long moments before uttering in shock, "You're the same as me." He leaned forward and brought his head very close to hers.

He was examining her scar!

Acting with rashness he pushed him back. As soon as she did so she regretted it, because the boy fell back onto the bench. From the embarrassed look on his face, he must have realized that he had invaded her personal space.

"S-Sorry!" He stuttered.

Hermione laughed a bit at the boy's lack of understanding, before raising her hand forward in front of her offering a handshake.

"It's alright." She began. "I'm sure you're just as tired as me from traveling here. Let's start over. My name is Hermione Granger, what's yours?"

The boy held off for a moment, before meeting her hand in the center of the car. He released a long breath, before speaking once more.

"Harry. Harry Potter."

* * *

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. A bit longer this time. I am very happy with how this turned out. As always, if you see any grammatical or canonical errors please point them out. Rate and review!**_


	3. Interlude - Magical Britain and Politics

Hello everyone! Stories not dead! I've been having some trouble getting in contact with my beta to get the story beta read, so I will be releasing this along with the next chapter un-beta'd unfortunately. It has been done for about a month and a half now, but I just never got a response and I can't wait any longer

So yes, I am looking for a new beta at this point. If you are interested, PM me and we can discuss it.

At the release of the next chapter, I plan on releasing this about an hour beforehand. This "Chapter" if you want to call it that, will be a cannon update specifically pertaining to how the wizarding government functions. It may be a bit boring, and I don't expect it to be read by many people, but if you want a short version, at the bottom will be a few bullet points going over the major changes. If that's too much even, you are free to skip this chapter, and go onto the next part of the story. It's not required reading but a few procedural things might feel weird, and it won't be the normal Wizengamot you are use to. So… The Wizengamot.

Oh lordy the Wizengamot.

If you've ever taken a Gov class you will be able to spot how stupid this whole system of government is. I know that's the point, but it isn't even functional in a dysfunctional sense.

For those who are unaware of how the whole wizengamot is structured, it acts as a legislative body, and judicial body. The Minister of Magic being the leader of the legislative body, and the Chief Warlock acting as the head of the judicial body. Members of the Wizengamot are determined mostly by heritage it seems, and the only elected member of the government appears to be the minister of magic. These two duties seem to cross paths all the time, with Fudge somehow leading the court trial against Harry in the Order of the Phoenix, and Dumbledore defending him.

In effective sense, it's an oligarchy in the simplest terms. It only has 50 seats for crying out loud! It also seems to not care for due process, sending letters out to a person the day before their trial is suppose to begin as seen in Order of the Phoenix, and also usually doesn't supply the defense with a defense attorney and instead just bases their decision off of prejudice.

Sounds perfectly normal right? Just good ol' Magical Brittan?

Well this would not work. This is a world of literal Wizards and Witches who have access to thousands of lethal spells at their fingertips. The people of America started a revolution because their tea was being priced without their permission. You expect me to believe that an entire country of magic people, half blood, muggle-born, or even pure blood but not part of the wizengamot - which is obviously a thing considering the Weasley's don't have a seat in it - would choose and continue to function under a body of 50 unelected hereditary people? There is no way.

So, I made some changes to make the Wizengamot reflect closer to its real world counterpart. Buckle up, cause there is about to be a lesson in British Government.

For starters, there are now two houses. The Wizengamot Commons, and the Wizengamot Lords. The Wizengamot Commons functions as the legislative body of Magical Britain. It has 195 seats, all covering their own constituency. Each constituency has one single MW, or Member of the Wizengamot. These constituencies account for 2000 Wizards and Witches each. The Wizengamot Commons is able to pass laws and regulations on Magical Britain.

The Wizengamot Lords is a different story. The Wizengamot Lords (Or Wizengamot House of Lords for its full title) holds 190 seats: 170 hereditary, and 20 appointed. These hereditary seats are given to influential and ancient families in Magical Britain, while the 20 appointed seats are appointed by whoever the Minister of Magic is at the time. The Wizengamot Lords act as the Chief Judicial Body and are headed by the Chief Warlock who is voted in by the combined Wizengamot Lords. These Lords (of which can be women but traditionally are all called Lords) sit on trials for crimes committed by all citizens of Magical Britain. They also have veto power over the Wizengamot Commons.

With the split here, I believe a more believable Magical Britain has been created, and a more believable descent into madness from a political standpoint can be created.

So for those who didn't want to read the full in depth section above:

Wizengamot is dumb

It's now the Wizengamot Commons and Wizengamot Lords

Wizengamot Commons is elected body which handles legislation

Wizengamot Lords is hereditary body which handles judicial duties

Wizengamot Commons has 195 seats

Wizengamot Lords has 190 seats

Wizengamot Lords has veto power

That should be it. Sorry I had to go into a political system of all things in fanfiction, but I didn't feel it would be possible to do this through show-not-tell within the story without needlessly throwing in Hermione reading "Magical British Politics for Muggle Borns" and having you all take Government and Economics all over again.

Anyways, the 3rd chapter will be posted an hour after this one, so I hope you enjoy it the same if not more than this wonderful dive into Magical British politics. Everyone's favorite part of Harry Potter.


	4. Chapter 2 - Arrival at Hogwarts

_**Hello hello everyone!**_

 _ **I think I got everything out I wanted to in the last chapter/interlog. Hopefully it wasn't too boring to read. As I stated before, I am looking for new Beta readers at this point. If you are interested, please message me about it.**_

 **Hermione Lyra Malfoy-Riddle:** Uh, if Hermione is a orphan her guardian is Albus Dumbledore anyway can Hermione be a PurebloodSlytherin! Great chapter!

 _ **I don't think it's too crazy to think that the magical guardianship could be transferred to someone else. Especially in Hermione's case. While I like Albus as much as the next guy (though that may not be true from some of the Harmony stories i've read) I think both he and McGonagall could see the plus it would be to her life to have a woman as the guardian to a magical witch instead of a man. They would be able to form a much closer bond than if it were the other way around. Same goes for if Harry had McGonagall. As for the comment on Hermione being a pureblood, I don't think that'd work with the prophecy that was lined out, but it sounds like an interesting story idea!**_

 **Viola1701e:** oh and they meet...no Ron? thats a good thing :)

 _ **He might not stay out for long, but I intend on trying to keep the prat-y-ness of him down to a minimum.**_

 **SSTB:** How did Voldemort attack both of them? Wouldn't he have "died" from the first time the killing curse rebounded, thus rendering him unable to try it again with the other?

 _ **Don't want to give too much away, but what I will say is think of magic as if it were a kinetic energy.**_

 _ **Thank you all for the reviews! I wont delay any further, but to the 5 others who reviewed and were not mentioned, thank you for your support and comments! I promise I do read them all.**_

 _ **Quick shoutout to Majerus who has been working as my Beta reader for the last two chapters. There have been slight edits to those chapters so if you would like to go back and read them to see if anything specific has changed, be my guest. However they are mostly grammatical and slight fixes to character and dialogue.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Order! Order! Order!"

The Speaker's cries were drowned out by the great roar which had come over the Magical Commons. Members of both the government and the opposition yelled back and forth with a ferocity only rivaled by their propensity for lying.

The Speaker, obviously enraged by the children he seems to watch over not listening to him, belowed "ORDER!" one final time, causing both sides to pause. As the comotion died down, The Speaker looked towards the members of the Opposition with contempt.

"Would the honorable member for North Shropshire please refrain from making any ad hominem attacks on the Right Honorable Leader for the Government. Mr. Minister, you may continue."

Fudge, obviously taken aback by the comment about life outside of work, gave a small nod to The Speaker. Gazing out onto the small crowd of MW's in front of him he wiped the sweat off of his brow, stood up, and continued with his speech.

"Mr. Speaker, the members of the opposition are right when they make argument f-for the opinion that a man's right to defend themselves from forced c-c-coercion is paramount in law, however that does not mean that we must outlaw the use of Veritaser-"

Without missing a beat, 7 MW's - or _Members of the Wizengamot_ \- from the opposition side, obviously eager to gain a photo opportunity as well as a good line in tomorrow's _Daily Prophet_ , stood up announcing their wish to speak. It was quite obvious to the young minister that the members of the Progressive Front wished to ensure he was given no chance to allow for his side of the story to be heard. Relenting as was custom, he gave a sigh, before motioning to the MW for Brent North, Bane Grunnion, to speak, and sat down once more.

"Mr. Speaker, Would the Right Honorable Leader for Government wish to comment on the House of Magical Lord's recent ruling of DMLE v. James Fortescue in which the defendant was found guilty by reason of confession under veritaserum _despite_ his confession being later found to be false?"

 _"The absolute git! Of course i'm going to comment on it! That's what this whole emergency meeting was about!"_ Fudge thought to himself. He stood back up.

"I thank the honorable member for Brent North for his concern and would like to take this moment to express that I am just as surprised as any member for the opposition. However, in regards to the debate today, I do not believe that the use of veritaserum has run its course in our legal system to the point that we must be rid of it entirely."

Several other MW's stood up to once again make their voices heard. As was custom, the Speaker called on someone from his side of the bench after calling on someone from the opposition. Once more, Fudge sat down.

"Thank you Mr. Speaker," began Malfoy, "Would my Honorable Friend for the Leadership of Government be in agreement with me when I say that a confession for a crime under veritaserum cannot be found false as it is impossible to lie while induced with its effects?"

Finally, something he could work with. He would have to thank Malfoy later for throwing him a bone.

Standing up, Fudge smiled. "I do agree with my Honorable Friend for Westminster North in that point and would like to say that I will be addressing these points and further in my statement."

Seeing there was one more member from the opposition standing up, Fudge without thinking motioned for the opposing member to speak and sat down.

"Would the Honorable member for Westminster North be in agreement with me then when I equate a certain unforgivable curse to the use of Veritaserum?"

The commons erupted into a absolute frenzy of yelling and screaming. As both sides made their ways to the center of the commons house, The Speaker could be heard yelling "Order! Order!" over and over again as he stood up. No one seemed to acknowledge either appeal to tradition.

Both sides shoved, punched and kicked at each other for several minutes. As the fighting eventually died down, and the whips for both sides were able to corral their members back into their pens, The Speaker looked on in absolute disgust.

"The Chair is absolutely disgusted with all of you. Particularly _**you,**_ Mundungus Switch, for instigating this fight. The Chair Adjourns this sitting on the grounds of grave disorder, and will think about allowing another sitting once the government and the opposition wish to stop behaving like children. Adjourned!"

Fudge, enraged he was not able to make his points on the ruling, stormed out of the commons and made his way towards the main lobby of the Ministry of Magic. When he was almost to the Floo Network, however, he was confronted by the Chief Warlock himself.

"I do not wish to speak to you at this time Albus." The Minister commented, "I have just come from a rather heated debate and do not wish to hear again why the other Magical Lords were wrong, and you were right!" Fudge tried to make his leave, but Dumbledore reached out his hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"I have not come to gloat minister." The headmaster, obviously trying to cool down the frustrated head of government, gave a small smile as the frustrated Fudge turned his head, he continued and said, "I wish to talk. Preferably over a drink." Fudge smiled.

 _"A shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen. Always the do-gooder aren't you Albus?"_

* * *

"...After Sirius came and rescued me from the Durselys, I lived with him until leaving for Hogwarts today. He says i'll be going back to the Dursley's during the summers, but at least I get to stay with him for holidays." Harry finished.

 _"Well, I suppose my life could be worse."_ Hermione mused. The story the boy had just spun was not a kind one. Though not different from her own: Told his parents were killed in a home invasion when he was young, raised a muggle for his whole life, and notified that he was a wizard after receiving his letter from Hogwarts. It was astonishing to say the least. Pondering for a moment, she decided to ask the question she had been holding off on.

"Harry… Has anyone ever called you-" She began, but was interrupted by the door to their carriage being rudely opened by a boy and what could only be described as muscle.

"Well if it isn't the Children-Who-Lived themselves." The young blond haired boy smirked as he stared into the shocked pair. "I guess you're Potter. Already friends with the stinky mudblood? Such a shame." The boy flipped his hair in the most patronizing motion Hermione had ever seen. "You'd be smart to leave this carriage and make friends with real wizards Potter. Not rubbish that should've been taken out long ago." He looked towards Hermione only for a moment, before switching his gaze back towards Harry. Continuing with what seemed to be his rant, he said, "If you wish to join us, we will be in compartmen-" the blond began, before having his speech trail off as Harry looked at them with utter confusion:

"Who… are you?"

The boy, obviously taken aback by the unfamiliarity with his family, cleared his throat, and made Harry wish he didn't ask.

"I am Draco Lucius Malfoy. 23rd descendant of Lucius Malfoy the First, and 1st in line for the house of Malfoy." The boy said, laying his hand on his chest as if to motion towards himself. Sensing the duo was not impressed, he continued, "You've heard of us haven't you?" He asked sarcastic astonishment. "Wait no!" He finished, mockingly, "You both grew up as muggles! What was that like? I wouldn't know obviously, but It's always cool to see how the other half lives."

The duo sat silent as they stared at the boy. Distaste growing with every word which came out of his mouth. Hermione had already decided she did not like the boy once he had introduced himself by stating his lineage. _"Only pompous brats would base their life around people who came before them."_ She had concluded. Looking over to Harry, she expected his face to reflect the same. However, while obviously not enjoying Malfoy's presence, his face expressed less of exasperation with the boy, and more of boredom.

"I was bored, tired, and cleaned a bunch of stuff." Harry answered. "Not fun. Not fun at all. Like the magical world a lot better."

Hermione almost choked on her own breath. Did Harry just agree with this… egocentric brat? Harry wasn't like that. Or at least, from what she had seen, he wasn't.

"See? I told you Crabbe! Even the Boy-Who-Lived thinks the magical world is better than the muggle one! I can't wait to father hears of this!" Malfoy laughed.

"What's you're stupid dad gonna hear about now Malfoy?" A voice yelled out from down the hall.

The blonde smiled to himself once more, before turning back to Harry. "It seems you have more admirers Potter. I'll let you deal with them."

With that, the boy was off. His goons following behind him. Hermione was dumbfounded. With the three of them, she had expected intimidation, coercion, and blackmail. Instead, they asked a question, laughed, and left. She turned to Harry once more, but noticed he had stood up to close the door. His face was as bland as if he had simply been out for a morning stroll.

Before he could close the door however, he was met with three red heads standing in the threshold. Wait… Was there two of them or was she seeing double? Regardless, the younger one, a first year at best, spoke first.

"Sorry about that prick. Gives us trouble every year and now you have to worry about him too." The young boy held out his hand, "I'm Ron. And you're…" the boy stopped short as he stared up at the scar on Harry's forehead. Harry, obviously noticing the boys eye movements, subtly brushed some hair over his scar once more. It wasn't enough.

"You're t-the Boy-Who-Lived!" He began.

Harry, still not use to his new nickname, rubbed the back of his head embarrassed. "Yep… Thats me." He replied, not really sure what to say.

"No one's seen you in 10 years! Where did they hide you?!" Ron nearly yelled.

However, before Harry could respond, the boy's brothers cut him off. "Alright ronnie boy, poking into other peoples business is our business. You keep to memorizing Quidditch names." Before the boy could respond, he was being pulled out of cabin. The other boy, the boy to the right of the one who looked just like him, finished where the other started.

"We better be going. Gotta find a carriage and this one seems to taken. You two have a nice journey."

And with that, along with a few comments Hermione could make out of earshot about it being Rons fault they were late to the carriage leaving, they were off as quickly as they had come.

Harry looked out the threshold with bewilderment. He sighed

"Well. I guess we're more famous than we thought."

* * *

Closing the carriage door, Harry soon found himself deep in thought. On the outside, he appeared to be reading _Hogwarts: A History,_ But on the inside, he was trying wrap his head round what this all meant.

 _"The Children-Who-Lived huh? I guess it could be worse. At least I've made one friend here. More than I ever had back at the Dursleys."_

The boy looked up. Hermione was sitting with her hands in her lap staring out the window. She looked to him for a moment, realizing he was staring at her, and averted her eyes. In what he could tell was nervousness, she dusted non existent dirt off her robes.

It was then he remembered something!

He forgot to put on his robes!

Springing up from his comfortable sitting position suddenly, and by consequence making Hermione jump, Harry began rummaging through his trunk looking for his nice dress robes which he had bought only two days before. Finding them under a dress shirt he had brought along just incase, he looked towards the girl who had been sharing the compartment with him.

"Mind stepping out for a sec? I have to change."

Hermione obliged, and stepped out of the carriage. Just as he got finished changing, he could hear the trains whistle signaling that they had finally reached their stop.

* * *

"Firs' years! Firs' Years! Come over here!" A bellowing voice cried out. Over the heads of the large crowd, the distinct figure of what Hermione could only describe as a giant could be seen. He wore an old coat and appeared to have a beard which grew longer than even her own hair.

"Who's that?" Hermione whispered into what appeared to be her friend of circumstance.

"Hm? Uh… Hairgrid… I think. Something like that. That's what Sirius called him at least." The boy answered, looking quickly at the towering figure, before turning his head back towards where they were walking.

" _Hairgrid?_ Well that certainly would be apt." Hermione joked trying to sound nonchalant. On the outside she assumed she was putting on a convincing demeanor of calm. At least, she hoped she was. On the inside however, her inquisitive mind was racing with questions.

" _Why do we have the same scar? Why were their situations so similar to one another? Why did that blond call us the Children-Who-Lived?"_

Her mind raced at 100 miles a minute. There were so many inconsistencies with the story. She was the _Girl-Who-Lived!_ Child who defied the odds and bested the darkest wizard of the last generation!

Except now, a boy, with the same story as her, had appeared right in front of her, and no one had ever thought to mention him to her!

Approaching the castle, she noted to herself to ask Harry about the whole situation further when they got a chance to talk in private. For now a tall, older looking woman stood at the gates of the keep and she was garnering the attention of every first year around them.

"Thats McGonagall!" One girl whispered, her excitement obviously not contained by her mousy demeanor.

"Didn't she fight the Bellatrix in a dual and win?"

"No way! She fought Cicely Spijker not Bellatrix!"

As the two children squabled, the lady, dressed in a green silk robe, strode towards the group with not a step out of sync.

"I faced neither a sadist nor a scum like them. My role was support and research." She smiled looking at the two children who were now blushing with embarrassment.

"Are they all here Hagrid?" She asked, now confirming that Harry had in fact, heard his name wrong.

"Suppose so Professor. May 'ave lost a few of 'em along the way though!" He bellowed with a great laugh that put a smile even on the strict McGonigal's face.

"Thank you Hagrid. I will take them from here." With a flick of her wand, the door opened, and Hermione had crossed her Rubicon.

 _"The point of no return."_

* * *

The office of the headmaster was in an uproar as Dumbledore walked into the room. Taken aback by the paintings out of character liveliness, he looked up and gave a resounding question.

"What seems to be the problem Professors?"

All the paintings turned and looked down towards the latest headmaster to be in their shoes. Some gleeful at his return, others dismissive at "wise fool."

"It has been not 30 minutes, and the two _chosen children_ have found each other! You had a hand in this Dumbledore! I won't have you interfering in these students lives!"

The painting, that of one Dexter Fortescue, points his finger at the incumbent headmaster, obviously distraught at outreach into their lives. Dumbledore, obviously, was not impressed by the threat.

"They would be the hubbub of the school mere minutes after walking into their sorting. They would know of each other anyways, so I do not see what is wrong with giving them a push towards a new friend. Merlin knows they deserve it."

"Regardless," the former headmaster refuted, "using charms on the young girl to make her enter the carriage? You know very well as _Chief Warlock_ that using charms on others without consent is **illegal!"**

 **"** Yes it is." He commented. "And the charm I used would permit me to suffer at most a fine of 20 Galleons. So which charity shall I make the donation out to?"

At this, the old wizard faltered, and whispering under his breath "that's not the point" he crossed his arms and turned his head away from the Bearded Warlock.

"Very Mature Dexter." A lady, Elizabeth Burke, glared at him as he turned his head. "Regardless of you paying or not paying a fine Dumbledore, the point still stands. Why must you meddle in their lives? Let them live and meet each other naturally. Do not tell me you are playing matchmaker while they are so young."

At this, several of the paintings gave a hearty laugh. Dumbledore, cluckling himself, threw his hands up in a mock surrender.

"Do not mistake my machinations for anything such." He smiled. "Although there is never enough love in the world."

With a chuckle, he held up his right hand up, and covering his heart with his left, he began to recite an oath.

"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, will not interfere in the lives of my students any further. I so promise." He said, reciting the phrase in a rhythmic tone as if he were being forced to do so.

"There. Are we all in agreement?"

Several of the statues nodded their heads and others expressed their satisfaction.

What they did not see, was the headmaster slowly cross his fingers.

* * *

"SLYTHERIN!"

The crowd cheered as the newest edition to the Slytherin house, Gregory Goyle made his way towards the table. He sat next to his fellow pawn Crabb, and awaited their fearless leader to join them.

"Granger, Hermione!" the Deputy Headmistress called. As she did so, the crowd began to whisper.

"Granger? The Girl-Who-Lived? I hear she's as smart as they come. Definitely gonna be a Ravenclaw.

Ravenclaw…

Hermione thought about it for a moment. Obviously, she would fit in with Ravenclaw. She was not one to brag but to deny she was not smart was simply false. If she were placed in Ravenclaw, she would feel at home with plenty of others who truly wanted to make the most out of their time here at Hogwarts.

At yet, as she walked towards the simple stool and the patchy hat, time seemed to slow down. Would she fit in Ravenclaw? Sure she was smart, but was that all she was good for? What good is smarts if you can't apply them. And what of the new development with this Potter boy? Obviously they were connected somehow, and she was determined to figure it out.

Was that worth sacrificing taking the best house for her?

Was Ravenclaw the best house for her?

As she sat down on the seat, she was surprised when everything turned to black.

"Oh my what a mind we have here. Hmm. Very inquisitive aren't you. Wondering how exactly im able to read your mind like this. Maybe you'll ask Dumbledore later how it is done."

 _"Wha- You can read my-"_

"Thoughts? Why yes I can! In fact I process them a second before you do! No matter. There seems to be a lingering in that brilliant head of yours. A lingering relating to your destiny Ms. Granger."

 _"You know my destiny too?"_

"I know many things Ms. Granger. But what I know most is the house you wish to go into in your heart of hearts. You must tell me though. Are you sure?"

Hermione stilled her will. This was a strict divergence from the plan she had made whilst studying Hogwarts and its traditions. But, as any good tactician knows, a good plan rarely survives first contact with trouble.

"My you are a bright one. Shame Ravenclaw can't have you. Oh well."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

The shout echoed throughout the hall and not a moment later the Gryffindor table erupted into cheers. As the young girl made her way to the table, a smile of pride made its way onto McGonigal's face.

Harry stood dumbfounded as his new friend made her way to the Gryffindor table. This had caught him completely by surprise. From what he understood of the four houses, and keep in mind what he knew came only from his skimming of _Hogwarts: A History_ Ravenclaw was a much better fit for this mousy bookworm of a friend he had made. Yet, once again, their paths had crossed.

Harry had no doubts in the house he would be being placed in. After being told of the true origins of his family, he learned of his fathers place in the House of Gryffindor. Many times Sirius had informed Harry of the hijinks which his father and himself had partaken in, and the wonderful time they had in Gryffindor. He wished with his heart of hearts to be in this house and he knew he had the courage to do so.

Yet, Harry was nervous. He was not sure what to expect when the hat was lowered into his head. Did it read your mind? Did it consider his past, his wants, or his future? Most importantly however, did it smell?

"Perks, Sally-Anne!"

The moment of his sorting approached quickly. He knew he was next. All he had to do was have trust in the hat. It had never been wrong before after all!

Well… How you measure being wrong in sorting of houses was beyond him, but _Hogwarts: A History_ wouldn't lie!

"Potter, Harry!"

Again whispers arose through the hall. This time not of what house he would be placed into, as that was quite obvious, but what it meant.

"Potter's gonna get placed in the same house as Granger! How poetic is that?"

"I wonder if they both received special training from Dumbledore? They gotta be wicked good at spells and they are only first years!"

"Poor souls. At least they will have each other in Gryffindor. Unless that stupid hat has some vendetta against them."

This last comment shook Harry. Why was everyone so confident in his placement in Gryffindor? And what was this about the hat having a vendetta? Was that just a joke?

Stealing his resolve, Harry sat down on a hard wood stool, and watched as his vision disappeared into darkness.

"Hmm… Not a bad mind yourself you know. The other one was sharp, but you're not far off. You wouldn't do too poorly in Ravenclaw yourself you know."

Harry's heart faltered. What was this hat talking about? Everyone was so confident in his placement in Gryffindor! What did this hat see in him that the others didn't.

"Oh calm down child i'm only speaking in jest. While what I said was not wrong, you would be a much better fit in Slytherin."

The hat let out a bellowing laugh as Harry's face paled.

 _"Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin."_ Harry repeated over and over to this hat in hopes someone would somehow hear his prayer. That someone, whether the hat or something else, must have heard him.

"Easy lad. I'm only playin' with ya. You may be cunning, but your destiny requires you somewhere else. You know it in your heart of hearts. You must tell me though. Are you sure?"

 _"Not Slytherin!"_ Harry yelled in his mind one last time. He hadn't even registered anything the hat had just said. The hat, holding in yet another laugh, relented.

"Well you aren't accepting enough to be a Hufflepuff. So I guess that leaves only one choice.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

 **I swear these just keep getting longer.**

 **Rate and review! I also need a new beta reader!**


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